Sharif Digital Repository

In this work, Sr-substituted samples of single-phase spinel monoferrites with chemical formula Ba1-xSrxFe2O4 (x = 0.00, 0.33, 0.67, 1.00) were synthesized using sol-gel auto-combustion method. In order to confirm the single-phase formation of these samples, a sample (x = 0.00) was chosen for heat treatment at different temperatures (100, 300, 400, 600 and 700°C) for 4 h. The heat treated sample was then investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and results showed that a single-phase sample can be successfully synthesized at a temperature of 600°C, which is much lower than that reported in earlier literature for synthesis of same structured samples. All the synthesized samples were... 

In this study, 40% CaO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was used for biodiesel production from corn oil. A transesterification reaction was done for 5h at a temperature of 65°C in the presence of corn oil, methanol (methanol to oil molar ratio of 12:1), and CaO/γ-Al2O3 catalyst (0.06g/g (6wt%)). Catalyst used in this study was synthesized using the sol-gel method. In this method, two parameters of gelation temperature and nitric acid concentration were used as variables in the catalyst synthesis step, and experiments were designed using central composite design (CCD). The results indicate that the optimal point is achieved at a gelation temperature of 70°C and... 

Titanium dioxide is prepared by sol gel method from titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as precursor and likewise zinc oxide is prepared by sol gel method from zinc acetate dehydrate (ZAD) as precursor. The composite sols are prepared in three different molar ratios 90TiO2:10ZnO, 70TiO2:30ZnO and 50TiO2:50ZnO. Thin film deposition is carried out by dip coating technique. Crystal structure, surface morphology and photocatalytic activity of the prepared nanocomposite thin films are investigated. The antibacterial activity of the prepared nanocomposite thin film against E-coli ATCC 25922 bacteria is examined by placing the thin film in standard aqueous E-coli medium under UV light for 1, 2, 3 and... 

A systematic comparison of single and binary metal oxide T1O2, TiO2-Ga2O3, TiO2-Er 2O3 and TiO2-Ta2O5 gas sensors with nanocrystalline and mesoporous microstructure, prepared by sol-gel route, was conducted. The gas sensitivity was increased by secondary phase introduction into TiO2 film via two mechanisms, firstly through the inhibition of anatase-to-rutile transformation, since the anatase phase accommodates larger amounts of adsorbed oxygen, and secondly through the retardation of grain growth, since the higher surface area provides more active sites for gas molecule adsorption. The binary metal oxides exhibited a remarkable response towards low concentrations of CO and NO2 gases at low... 

In this study, bioglasses in SiO2-CaO-MgO system were synthesized through sol-gel method and the effect of silica and magnesia contents on in-vitro bioactivity of the bioglasses were investigated. XRD patterns showed an amorphous structure after heat treatment at 600°C for 2 h for all glasses and also indicated that after immersion in SBF, apatite particles precipitated on glass surfaces and the rate of apatite formation decreased with increasing Mg/Ca ratio. On the other hand, the apatite formation rate was enhanced with increasing the silica content. Furthermore, magnesia contents increased the compressive strength of the samples. According to SEM, higher Mg/Ca ratio led to increase in... 

TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method using titanium tetraisopropoxide. Sulfate ions were introduced on the titania by impregnation method using sulfuric acid as precursor of sulfate ions. Fourier transform infrared and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence as well as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and BET methods were used for the characterization of the obtained nanoparticles. The esterification of isoamyl alcohol with acetic acid was investigated to prove the catalytic activity of the TiO2 nanoparticles under solvent-free conditions. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the effect of some parameters such as the molar... 

The authors have synthesized a superhydrophobic silica aerogel by using a sol-gel technique. The material is shown to be an efficient sorbent for needle trap microextraction of chlorobenzenes. Hydrophobicity affects the performance of the sorbent as shown by altering the ratio between tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and methyltrimethoxysilane when synthesizing the sorbent. The observed contact angle (which is >150°) underpins the superhydrophobic properties of the aerogel. The microstructure of the sorbent was investigated by BET adsorption, revealing a surface area above 1000 m2 g−1. The sorbent was applied to needle trap extraction of chlorobenzenes from aqueous samples, and their... 

In present research six samples of nano X-type hexagonal ferrites with general formula SrBaMg2-xCoxDyyFe28-yO46 (x = 0–1; y = 0–0.1 with step size of 0.2 and 0.02, respectively) were synthesized by sol–gel technique. The temperature required for the phase formation of these materials was estimated using thermogravimetric analysis. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the pure phase of the prepared materials up to the doping concentration of x = 0.4, y = 0.04 along with the second phase for higher doping concentration. The secondary phase appeared due to the solubility limit of higher ionic radius Dy3+ ions into the hexagonal lattice. The mean crystalline size decreased from 29 to 18 nm while... 

Single phase Ca-substituted W-type hexaferrites Sr1-xCaxZn2Fe16O27(x = 0.00(0.25)1.00) have successfully been synthesized by using sol–gel self-combustion at 1300°C. These hexaferrites are investigated by x-ray difrractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, and vector network analysis. XRD analysis confirms the formation of a single W-type hexaferrites phase. The DC electrical resistivity increases with incrementing Ca contents. The morphology of all the hexaferrites shows hexagonal platelet-like structure. The prepared ferrites depict soft magnetic nature with high saturation... 

Titanium anodes activated by noble metal oxides possess a wide range of advantages and applications. Actually, coating of titanium anodes by highly conductive oxides of noble metals (Ru, Ir) dramatically increases the lifetime of these anodes. In this study, the binary coating consisting of Ti and Ru and the ternary coating consisting of Ti, Ru and Ir were prepared through sol–gel method. After coating of the titanium substrate, the corrosion behavior of coatings was studied by anodic polarization and cyclic voltammetry tests. The lifetime of anodes was determined using accelerated corrosion test. The morphology of coatings was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy and... 

Ferrite nanocrystals are an interesting material due to their rich physical properties. Here we add nonmagnetic dopants Zn and Cu to nickel ferrite nanocrystals, Ni1-xMxFe2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1, M = Cu, Zn), and study how relevant properties of the samples are modified accordingly. Basically, these dopings cause a rearrangement of Fe +3 ions into the two preexisting octahedral and tetrahedral sites. In fact, this, we show, induces pertinent magnetic properties of the doped samples. In the case of the Cu-doping, the Jahn-Teller effect also emerges, which we identify through the Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy of the samples. Moreover, we show an increase in the lattice parameters of the... 

Mordenite (MOR) nanocrystals were synthesized using the hydrothermal method. Sol-gel and deposition methods were utilized to modify the zeolite surface with TiO2 and then AgBr or AgCl particles. Photocatalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Activity was evaluated by photodegradation of Acid Blue 92 as an azo dye. The effect of silver halide deposition on the photocatalytic behavior of the prepared nanocomposites was studied under both ultraviolet (UV) and visible light, and the results were compared. The results showed that AgCl/TiO2/MOR was more active under UV, while with visible source,... 

The morphological manipulation and structural characterisation of TiO 2-MgO binary system by an aqueous particulate sol-gel route were reported. Different crystal structures including pure MgTiO 3, mixtures of MgTiO 3 and TiO 2 and mixtures of MgTiO 3 and Mg 2TiO 4 were tailored by controlling Mg:Ti molar ratio and annealing temperatures as the processing parameters. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that all compounds crystallised at the low temperature of 500 °C. Furthermore, it was found that the average crystallite size of the compounds depends upon the Mg:Ti molar ratio as well as the annealing temperature, being in the range 3-5 nm at... 

We analyze an experiment in which two distinct superconducting phases YBa2Cu3O7-δ (Y123) and Y 3Ba5Cu8O18-δ (Y358) coexisted. This experiment enabled us to characterize the recently introduced Y358 phase in contrast to the Y123 phase, thus to resolve some discrepancies reported in associated properties of Y358. Specifically, our experiment indicates the transition temperature Tmid C = 105 K and 94 K for Y358 and Y123, respectively, and that Y358 has five CuO2 planes and three CuO chains, with Pmm2 symmetry and lattice parameter (a, b, c) = (3.845, 3.894, 31.093) Å, in agreement with density functional theory predictions for this specific structure  

A novel molecularly imprinted xerogel (MIX) based on organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) was successfully prepared for on-line capillary microextraction (CME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The sol-gel-based xerogel was prepared using only one precursor and exhibited extensive selectivity towards triazines along with significant thermal and chemical stability. Atrazine was selected as a model template molecule and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (TMSPMA) as a precursor in which the propylmethacrylate moiety was responsible for van der Waals, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen-bond interactions with the template. This moiety plays a key role in creation of... 

The influence of indium on the properties of Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nano ferrites synthesized by sol–gel auto-combustion technique was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that pure and substituted ferrites possessed cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter increases with the inclusion of In3+ for x ≤ 0.16 and decreases subsequently. A linear decrease in crystallite size was found as concentration of indium increased. X-ray density, strain, and dislocation density were increased as indium content increases. Hopping lengths as well as radii of A and B sites revealed increasing behavior up to x = 0.16 and decreased thereafter. The spectral bands indicated the formation of... 

The influence of indium on the properties of Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nano ferrites synthesized by sol–gel auto-combustion technique was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that pure and substituted ferrites possessed cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter increases with the inclusion of In3+ for x ≤ 0.16 and decreases subsequently. A linear decrease in crystallite size was found as concentration of indium increased. X-ray density, strain, and dislocation density were increased as indium content increases. Hopping lengths as well as radii of A and B sites revealed increasing behavior up to x = 0.16 and decreased thereafter. The spectral bands indicated the formation of... 

TiO2, transition metal (Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn)- and aluminum-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel technique. The sulfated catalysts were prepared by the impregnation method with H2SO4 solution. The catalysts were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area measurement, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques. The sulfate content of the metal-incorporated samples was considerably higher than for SO4 2-/TiO2. The metal doping brought about a considerable reduction in the extent of sulfate loss from the catalyst surface due to the wide dispersion on the surface. The SO4 2-/TiO2 and SO4 2-/M/TiO2... 

In this study, the effect of surface modified nano-zirconia (nano-ZrO2) on the corrosion protection of epoxy coating on mild steel was investigated. An organosilane (trimethoxy methyl silane) was used as a surface modifier to improve the dispersability of the inorganic nanoparticles in the organic coating matrix. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the sol-gel surface modified nanoparticles. The dispersability of the modified and unmodified nano-zirconia in an epoxy coating was examined by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and salt spray were employed to... 

A catalytic membrane reactor was synthesized by coating a 4-5 micron thick Ni/γ-Al2O3 layer on top of a hydrogen selective SiO2/Al2O3 composite membrane using a sol-gel method. Mercury intrusion and BET analysis indicated a uniform size distribution with an average pore size of 285 nm and average surface area of 279 m2 g-1. Single-component permeation tests were carried out for H2, CH4 and CO2 in the temperature range of 650-800 °C and the results showed the same permeance and selectivity values for hydrogen as the composite membrane without a catalytic layer. Performance of the catalytic membrane was evaluated by using as a membrane reactor for the methane steam reforming reaction with a...